Rx Kids Research
The existing science on child cash transfers is strong: no-strings-attached cash can improve the health and wellbeing of moms and babies – and entire communities! Built on this extensive evidence and the historic success of the expanded Child Tax Credit, Rx Kids is a unique place-based program for entire low-income communities focused on the critical prenatal and infancy window. New research on Rx Kids will add to the evidence base on prenatal and child cash transfers, informing policymakers and communities.
What does the research on cash say?
- Hundreds of studies show that unconditional cash transfers can be life-changing across countries and contexts. Mothers and babies are no different, and early intervention is shown to have sustained health and development impacts years after cash is delivered.
- Healthier pregnancies: Multiple studies have found positive impacts of cash on birth weight, premature births, and breastfeeding, parental mental health, and food security.
- Impact lasts into adulthood: Years after their moms received cash transfers, adult children experienced benefits across health, education, and nutrition, lifetime earnings, and reduced anxiety and depression.
- The 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit lifted millions of families out of poverty and drove child poverty to a record low of 5.2 percent.
- Evidence shows numerous additional benefits to no-strings-attached cash, including reduced food insecurity and financial hardship, improved health for children and parents, better school performance, and reduced incidence of child abuse. Benefits extend into adulthood and far exceed the cost of the expanded tax credit.